Tridacna deresa shell development questions..

[6-line]

Why is it, and perhaps it's my own experience, that when you purchase a new clam, be it from the LFS or elsewhere, the shell seem almost pristine,, white as if grown in some type of sterile environment? After a few months in my tank the shell darkens and develops snails (vertimid) and coralline and other algae.
Also, the shell is often smooth. Why, after growing in my tank, is the new growth obvious (as in layers) whereas the old growth prior to my aquirement of the mollusk is visually nonexistent--just smooth shell with no 'layers' of growth. Is this something to do with a different type of calcification of the shell (because of switching from one method to another...i.e. natural s.w. to kalk dosed s.w.)?

Thanks...

 

[chewie]

bump! I wanna know too!

 

[Laura D]

I have a derasa that I have had for quite a while. When I got it the shell was smooth, just like all the derasas I have seen. What is strange is that over time it has been growing "scutes" on the shell, like it thinks its a crocea.

 

[Hammer]

Most noteably with crocea and maxima, wild 'caught' clams, in their proper invironment, are surrounded by rock. Especially crocea. And all the movement the clam normally goes through wears off the shutes, and keeps them clean as well. These clams hide for protection, which means that they keep most of the shells out of the light to only leave the mantle exposed.

And also I wouldn't doubt that some of these clams are cleaned off well while importing them so as not to include any hitchhickers that might be possible. But that is a guess on my part.

 

[toptank]

Hammer, I talked with a exportor in the Philippines the other day and he said that they clean there clams and check for other things before shipping. So you are correct

Barry

 

[Hammer]

I had heard about them cleaning them to make sure the clam was healthy, and that it didn't have anything attached to it that wasn't supposed to be.

 

[simonh]

In my tank I have alot of red turf algae (the tuff wirey stuff). Generally it does not cause any problems as when the SPS grow close it turns white and dies. However, some of the clam shells had some on and caused the mantle to pull in sometimes where it touched them.

I decided to clean it off and was looking for a toothbrush. Whilst looking around a toothbrush I saw the Dremel I use for fragging. Cool I thought so I put a small brush on and cleaned the algae off. Now the shell looks just like when we get them imported

 

[Laura D]

I am curious as to how they clean the shells. When I bought my Derasa, the shell was as white as if it just came out of the dishwasher lol!!

It is now so covered with growth I don't think it could ever be white again, not that I care, I just think it's strange.

 

[Hammer]

A scrub brush from what I've heard/seen.

 

[toptank]

mulberry, A BIG DISHWAHER just kidding.

Barry

 

[MiNdErAsR]

In my tank I have alot of red turf algae (the tuff wirey stuff).

I had some of this growing on my clams in my old 75g. However the purple tang and the foxface both loved that stuff and it never really grew at all.

 

[Chris_Gillespie]

The layering of your derasa shell is from fluctuating calcium and alkalinity levels. You can always tell the guys who've got calcium reactors, because their clams are much smoother. It's nothing to worry about though! Just keep those levels up!

 

[6-line]

Chris,
Yes, that makes sense...I was hoping someone would address that part of the question. My deresa's new growth layers are definitely not smooth, but i guess it's better to have new growth layers than none at all. I dose kalk and no reactor (yet).

Thanks